Vehicle parking laws are typically enforced by issuing a summons and placing the summons on a vehicle in violation. Typically, the vehicle owner is required to pay the fine or appear in court to contest the summons. Unfortunately, in many areas, some vehicle owners do not promptly pay fines that are due and allow summons and fines to accumulate.
One solution to insure payment of such fines is to place an immobilizing device, often referred to as a clamp or “boot”, on the wheel of a vehicle currently in violation and/or on the wheel of a vehicle of a scofflaw with unpaid parking summons. A conventional wheel boot typically consists of a clamp that surrounds a vehicle wheel, and is designed to prevent removal of both itself and the wheel. A conventional vehicle wheel boot 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The illustrated wheel boot 10 includes a base 14 and a pair of clamping members 16, 18 extending from the base 14. Clamping member 18 includes a wheel engagement dome 20 that is configured to engage an outer portion of a wheel 12 (FIG. 2). The clamping members 16, 18 are movable relative to each other from an open position wherein a vehicle wheel 12 can be inserted between the clamping members 16, 18 to a closed position wherein the clamping members engage the vehicle wheel 12 to prevent the wheel boot 10 from being removed from the vehicle wheel 12. A latch mechanism (not illustrated) locks the clamping members in the closed position. When attached to a wheel of a vehicle, operation of the vehicle is virtually impossible since the wheel is no longer able to roll due to the presence of the wheel boot 10. Other conventional immobilizing devices are described in Japanese Patent No. JP 58076348, UK Patent Nos. 3008370 and 3007353, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,489,272; 1,530,622; 3,907,072; 4,768,359; 5,134,868; 5,315,848; 5,372,018; 5,829,285; and 5,673,574, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The use of immobilizing devices, such as illustrated in FIGS. 1-2, has become popular with law enforcement, parking attendants, municipal governments, and the like in the enforcement of parking and other violations. In use, an installer places an immobilizing device on a vehicle wheel, thereby immobilizing the vehicle. Upon returning to the vehicle, the offender is prompted by a notice placed on the vehicle (e.g., a sticker on the window, notice under a windshield wiper, etc.) to call the appropriate entity, e.g., the police, parking authority, or other third party, in order to learn how to have the immobilizing device removed. The offender is prompted during the call to make his/her way to the police station, parking authority, or other third party location. Typically, the offender is required to pay the fine for a current violation and any other outstanding fines. Once the offender has paid all outstanding amounts, the appropriate entity typically sends someone to remove the immobilizing device from the vehicle.
Some conventional immobilizing devices may have a combination lock as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,285, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As such, once the offender has paid all outstanding amounts, he/she may be given a code for unlocking the immobilizing device. Typically, the person is required to pay a deposit and then return the immobilizing device to a specified location in order to receive a refund of the deposit. Unfortunately, the process of contacting a responsible agency, paying a fine, and obtaining an unlocking code or combination can be time consuming and frustrating to vehicle owners.